Abandoned Vehicles

If you suspect a vehicle has been abandoned, you can report it to us online or by calling customer services on 023 8028 5000.

Before you report a vehicle as abandoned please take the time to check with your neighbours that it does not belong to any visitors. We will not get involved in disputes over parking - if you know who the owner is then the vehicle is not abandoned.

If you are reporting a vehicle as abandoned, it is helpful if you have the following information:

Make, model and colour

Registration number

Detailed location information

How long the vehicle has been there

What will happen next

It takes a minimum of 23 days to remove an abandoned vehicle unless it is deemed to be causing an obstruction or is dangerous. This is to give an owner the chance to claim their vehicle.

When we receive a report of an abandoned vehicle, we will visit the location and attach a 14 day notice to ask the owner to contact us.

If there is no response to the notice then a seven day notice will be attached to the vehicle. At this point we will look the vehicle up on the DVLA database and attempt to contact any owner listed.

Should there be no response, we will attach a 24 hour notice to state the vehicle will be removed in the next 24 hours if no contact is made.

If the vehicle is still in place at this point then a request for removal will be sent to our contractor and the vehicle will be removed.

If a vehicle is claimed by the owner then it will no longer be deemed to be abandoned and we will take no further action.

If you have reported an abandoned vehicle to us that subsequently moves, please let us know so that we do not make unnecessary visits to investigate.

If an abandoned vehicle notice has been placed on your vehicle

Please follow the advice on the notice and contact us to advise us that the vehicle has not been abandoned.

Should an abandoned vehicle complaint progress to the final stage, it will be uplifted and the owner can be charged for its removal and storage.

Burnt out vehicles

The police may initially want to investigate burnt out vehicles as a criminal offence but the council will remove it after they have finished. For your own safety, please do not touch burnt out vehicles.